I end tody’s post with the traditional Irish Blessing for you and your family

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

Featured Recipe: Bubble and Squeak

On St. Patrick’s Day the Irish like a dish made with potatoes and cabbage or kale called Colcannon. The potatoes are mashed and the greens are blanched and mixed into the mashed potatoes.

Originally Colcannon was made for Halloween and small coins were hidden in the mashed potatoes.

There was a song that went along with the recipe too:

“Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?”

The chorus:

“Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it sure the nearer I’m to cry.
Oh, wasn’t it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot.”

I am not a big fan of food being mixed into my mashed potatoes. Don’t know why. Just am not.

However, I LOVE the combination of potatoes and cabbage. So for St. Patrick’s Day I am making Bubble and Squeak, a close cousin of Colcannon .

I make no apologies to anyone. And if the Food Police want to come and arrest me I will gladly give them my wrists to handcuff me and haul me away to jail.

My favorite recipe of Bubble and Squeak is made with REAL LARD. You will get the most flavorful version of Bubble and Squeak using lard. You will only get the “squeak” sound the potatoes and cabbage make when cooking IF you use real lard.

The best recipe for Bubble and Squeak comes from Calrissa Dickson’s recipe from Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 1996.

You can substitute butter or oil for the lard. But as Clarissa said, “There is no substitute for lard or beef drippings – if you object, eat something else.”

There you have it. I just love the Two Fat Ladies.

Lard can be purchased in most grocery stores.

This is what you need for 4-6 servings:

3 cups cold cooked potatoes (about 6 medium potatoes)

¼ cup drippings or lard

1 onion minced

1½ cups chopped cooked cabbage or Brussels sprouts

Salt and pepper

Here is what you do:

Peel and cook the potatoes in water that covers them. About 20-30 minutes should be fine, but use a knife to test the potatoes. Cooking time will vary by size and type. I had 1 small potato that I removed from the pan before the others.

Completely cool the potatoes. They should be cold before you make the Bubble and Squeak. You might want to cook the potatoes the night before and then you will have a quick and easy meal to fix the next day.

Give the potatoes a rough chop.

After the potatoes are cooked and chopped, chop your onions.

Then melt half of the fat in a large frying pan, add the onions and lightly fry them.

While the onions fry chop the cabbage. I first cut the cabbage into fourths. Then I cut out the rough and hard core from each fourth.

Rough chop the cabbage too.

By now the onions should be lightly browned………….

………………so mix in the potatos…………………

…………and then cover with the greens. Season with the salt and pepper. Add half of the remaining lard.

Using a big spatula press the bubble into the hot fat and fry over moderate heat. Keep pressing the bubble into the hot fat periodically. You will really hear the dish squeaking when you press it into the oil. It is such a delicious sound.

Everyone should make Bubble and Squeak with lard at least once in their life just to hear this lovely sound. It is just so much fun!!!!

Cook until nicely and well browned underneath – about 15 minutes. I use the smell test. You will know when it is nicely browned and ready to be turned over because you can smell it.

The browing of both the potatoes and cabbage is necessary to get the best and sweetest flavors from these two vegetables.

Turn the bubble over. This will have to be done in sections, you will not be able to turn it all over like a pancake. Add the last of the lard and fry until the other side is browned, another 15 minutes or so.

Then plate and serve.

Potatoes and cabbage are so delicious together.

As a side dish this can easily serve 4-6 people. This is a great side dish with any pork dish such as sausage or pork chops. Pork and cabbage are a perfect pairing.

As a complete meal, as I chose to do, this can easily serve 4 people.

I served mine with a side of sliced Ohio grown and vine-ripened tomatoes. Just some salt and pepper was all I used on the tomatoes. Also served with a whole-grain roll. A very filling meal.

Bon appétit!!!

Cost

3 cups potatoes $1.38

¼ cup drippings/lard $0.28

1 onion minced $0.99

1½ cups chopped cabbage $1.45

Salt and pepper

Total cost = $4.10

Per person cost as side dish (6 people) = $0.68

Per person cost as a meal (4 people) = $1.03

This is a very budget friendly dish no matter how you serve it.

Quote of the Day

An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup.